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control over the days or times of slaughter, consequently
slaughtering used to continue until late in the evenings and
usually on Saturdays and Sundays. This naturally meant a
considerable amount of overtime being worked by the Public
Health Inspectors and Meat Inspectors in order to maintain
100% meat inspection. The occupiers of the slaughterhouses were
granted a period of 28 days in which to appeal to the Ministry
of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food against the requirements of the
Orders. One slaughterhouse owner did not appeal, as he only
slaughtered sufficient for his own retail shop and was, therefore
able to comply with the requirements of the Order. The other
three owners, however, being either wholesalers or contractors
for the wholesale trade, lodged appeals with the Ministry on
various trade and religious grounds—ritual slaughter taking
place in two of these slaughterhouses. They requested that the
ban on Saturday and Sunday slaughtering should be removed.
The Ministry's officers dealt with each case individually
and had meetings with the appellants and their solicitors and
with the Council's officers.
The proceedings were rather lengthy and the first Order
confirmed came into effect on 9th August, 1968. The Minister
varied the Council’s Order by permitting slaughtering to take
place on Saturdays from 8.0 a.m. to 12 noon in addition to
8.0 a.m. to 6.0 p.m. on Monday to Friday.
Orders affecting the other two slaughterhouses came into
operation on 14th November, 1968. The Minister also varied
these Orders so as to permit slaughtering on Saturdays from
8.0 a.m. to 12 noon.
Under the Regulations the Council are permitted to suspend
the Orders or grant exemptions in the case of emergency or
during religious holidays and festivals.
During December, 1968, exemptions were granted to all
slaughterhouses, permitting slaughtering to take place on the
two Sundays prior to Christmas in order to meet the increased
demand for the holiday period. At the end of the year one of the
slaughterhouse owners had submitted a further appeal to the
Minister in order to be allowed to slaughter on Sundays. The
result of this appeal is awaited.
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